Before you click away to the next Slipknot article, consider this: Playing for kids might not be your first choice of a career, but being on stage with a guitar in your hand is a helluva lot better than scooping French fries or sitting in a cubicle. We play music because we love music. Why not get paid to play, even if it’s a non-traditional audience?

Classical guitar songs and techniques have inspired modern artists ranging from the Doors to Metallica. In this new DVD, 20 Essential Classical Licks, you'll develop the essential skills required to play fingerstyle on a nylon-string acoustic guitar, such as arpeggio patterns and techniques, rolling triplets and sextuplets, natural and artificial harmonics, grace-note embellishments, tremolo picking and much more.

Bass is more than just a guitar with two fewer strings. It has a different tone, scale length, feel and musical role, and in many cases it requires a different conceptual and technical approach. Guitarists who are new to playing bass will often double the guitar part one octave lower. There is certainly a place octave doubling — just listen to Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion," Led Zeppelin's "The Ocean" and Pantera's "I'm Broken." But there is so much more that can be done with the bass guitar.

Obviously, over the years I've had loads of guitars, but they’ve come and gone. I got to the point where I didn’t think it was nice to have guitars and not use them. All the guitars I’ve got I intend to use. I’ve got a couple of Teles with Lace Sensor pickups and maple necks. Maple necks feel softer to play, and I think you get a bit more sustain. I find the rosewood necks a bit tinnier. But I’m no expert by any means.

Harmonic minor is always a very cool choice and a favorite of mine. It’s great to use when you’re improvising or coming up with song ideas and lead parts. So many impressive players have made great use of it in their songs — guys like Uli Jon Roth, Yngwie Malmsteen, Ritchie Blackmore, Steve Vai and many others. Mozart was also a big fan.

B.B. King, Blues Legend: A Step-by-Step Breakdown of His Guitar Styles and Techniques is available now at the Guitar World Online Store for $22.99. This Signature Licks Book/CD Pack will help you learn the guitar licks that made B.B. the undisputed King of the Blues!